Love Finds a Home
by Hadley Rose
Summary: Set at the end/after TLO. Nico saves Thalia's life, this presents some obstacles for the two, will Thalia be willing to accept that Nico is now a permanent part of her life and that falling in love isn't a sin, or will she push him away?


**This fic was originally written for the 2010 PJO Holiday Exchange for aliepie10. This was my first time writing Thalico and I've really come to like the pairing after writing it! Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.**

_Love Finds a Home_

Of all the ways that Thalia, skilled fighter and Lieutenant to the goddess Artemis had thought of dying, being trapped beneath a statue of her father's wife was not one of them. Though, she wouldn't put it past Hera, she had been against Thalia since before she was born. Thalia groaned loudly as she attempted to move the horrid statue again. Maybe sending Percy, Annabeth and Grover ahead without her wasn't a good idea, she thought, then quickly scolded herself. It was extremely important that Percy remain alive and well, after all he was the one who would fulfill the prophecy. She could hear the sounds of Kronos' army as they tore Olympus apart brick by brick and wished that the war would be over soon. Suddenly, there was a loud snap behind her, she turned her head the best that she could, being pinned to the floor. She barely saw the second marble statue of the queen of the gods break apart as it fell on her.

xxxx

Nico quickly surveyed the battle going on around him. The skeleton warriors that he had summoned were fighting as well as could be expected. Thinking he should check in on what was happening on Mt. Olympus, he shadow traveled there.

Upon arriving, he stopped to catch his breath. When he recovered a little he could tell that a soul was about to leave its mortal body. His first thought was that it was Percy's life force, because he felt that it had been very powerful before now. He had to keep Percy from dying, he was too important to them winning the war to just sit by and let his soul reach the Underworld. Plus, Percy was one of his only friends. He let his senses guide him to where he could see a pale hand stretched out from underneath a pile of marble. The closer he got to the body; however, he could tell that the life force wasn't Percy's it was…

"Thalia?" He exclaimed and rushed toward her. Upon seeing her all he could think about was his sister Bianca and how she had perished because of a moving statue. Adrenaline rushed through his veins. Quickly, he called on some skeletons to lift the statues off of her. His heart ached; never did he want anyone to have to die the way that Bianca did. Even though it had been a couple of years since her death he was still in mourning. Nico didn't know exactly what he was doing; he just let his instincts take control. He went to place one hand on her heart, but quickly moved his hand to just above her chest when he realized what he was doing. He placed the other on her forehead and spoke an incantation in Ancient Greek. He willed her to stay alive. As he did so, their life auras intertwined. Her powers became his and his became hers. After they were joined, Nico passed out, his spirit exhausted from the transfer of energy.

xxxx

When Thalia awoke, she felt extremely exhausted and sore, as if someone had dropped two or three buildings on her. Complete with people and really heavy things inside. She slowly sat up and realized that someone was lying next to her.

"Nico?" She asked, looking at the boy lying unconscious on the floor. She gently nudged him. "Are you ok?"

He moved his head to face her without opening his eyes and muttered. "Alive. Good. Sleep now." He then turned away from her.

"Well, well. Isn't this exciting?" Thalia started upon hearing the eerily familiar voice. "I always knew that my daughter would end up with someone powerful!"

Thalia jumped up, ready to attack. "Mom?" She asked, pain evident in her voice, "how?"

"Oh I wouldn't miss this! My daughter, joined with the Prince of the dead! Now, this is so exciting! Oh if only I could announce it to the world! If I were alive you would have the grandest wedding ever!" Her mother's ghost exclaimed. Which Thalia found extremely irritating and creepy.

"What are you doing here and why do you think that I'm joined with Nico? I swore off men for all eternity."

At that time Nico awoke. "What's going on?" He questioned.

"Don't you know, son of Hades? Can't you see the string connecting your souls? Are you so dense that you can't tell that you're soul mates?"

"You're lying! You never were a good mother!" Thalia exclaimed, tears streaming down her face. She had imagined seeing her mother several times after she found out that she had died, never did she imagine that it would be quite like this. "Go back to Hades!" She screamed with more force than she believed she possessed at the moment and felt even more energy leave her tired body. As soon as the words left Thalia's mouth, her mother's ghost disappeared.

"Is she really gone?" Thalia asked Nico.

Nico looked at her in shock. "How did you do that?"

"Do what?" Thalia asked, unaware of what she had just done.

"You sent her to back to the Underworld. That wasn't me."

Thalia paled slightly; if Nico was right then her mother wasn't lying. She had some of Nico's powers. She decided not to dwell on the thought for too long, they needed to move on.

"We have a war to win." She said. "There's no time to stick around and run our mouths. Are you strong enough to go on?"

"Yeah." He said and they made their way to the Throne Room.

By the time that they reached the throne room the war was over. Annabeth was hunched over Luke's body; she looked as if she had shed a few tears. Thalia immediately knew that he was dead. She had been around death more than she would ever have wished, but this felt different, maybe it was because she had been so close to Luke when she was younger.

"What happened?" She finally managed to breathe out.

"Luke killed himself to save us. He's the one that made the decision that would save or destroy the world." Annabeth looked extremely pale and as if she would faint at any given moment.

"Beth." Thalia said and walked toward the younger woman. She made it to her right before Annabeth passed out cold. "We need to take her to an Apollo kid. Her aura seems fairly healthy, although she's extremely weak."

Percy, Grover and Nico all looked at her strangely.

"Thalia, how did you know that?" Grover asked, wide eyed.

Just then the gods showed up, they were all dressed in battle armor and looked as if they expected a battle, however they were too late. Percy explained to them how Luke had taken a knife to his Achilles spot in order to stop Kronos. They all agreed that Luke had died a hero. The Fates themselves picked up Luke's cold, dead body and hand delivered it to the Underworld. Thalia breathed deeply as she watched them carry her old friend away. Nico grabbed her hand in an attempt to comfort her and she unconsciously accepted it.

The gods restored the Throne Room and Apollo healed Annabeth before the restored and all of the surviving heroes were allowed into the throne room to be congratulated and given their proper rewards.

After the gifts had been given out and praise was given were it was due, Thalia was preparing to get back to the Hunters when she was stopped by her lady. "Thalia, you can't go back to the Hunters right now."

Thalia was surprised. "Why, my lady?"

"You have no right to question me. Why did you join with the son of Hades?" Artemis asked, with a type of hatred in her eyes that she reserved only for when speaking about the opposite sex.

"I didn't join myself with Nico, he just saved my life. I was trapped underneath statues of Hera and he came by and rescued me. If it weren't for him I would have died!"

"I see, so _he _did this! She spat. It's just like a _boy_ to do something like this!" She quickly turned away from Thalia, furious and yelled, "Hades!"

"You could be a little bit more respectful, niece." Hades said from the other side of the room.

"I would be if your son hadn't taken away my lieutenant's innocence!"

Hades looked at Nico with a smug smirk on his face. "Did you really?" He and Nico then moved to where Artemis and Thalia were.

"No!" Nico and Thalia cried at once, both of their faces beet red.

"Nico, please explain what happened." Thalia pleaded.

Nico told them how he had found Thalia almost dead and saved her from the Underworld and how Thalia had summoned a ghost.

"Numbskull," Artemis said as she glared at Nico as if he were the foulest thing in the universe, "you shouldn't use your powers unless you know what you're doing!"

"Quiet down, Artemis. You know the Fates have preordained this." Hades retorted.

"I don't understand." Thalia said.

"In order to bring you back into consciousness he had to give you some of his spirit, his power or else your spirit would have faded from your body, when this happens to two demigods they establish an empathy link as well as being able to use some of the other's power." Hades explained.

Suddenly Aphrodite decided to make her presence known. "But it wouldn't have been able to happen if they weren't soul mates! Oh this is such an amazing love story!" Aphrodite exclaimed. "The dark, depressed son of Hades and the independent former huntress joined together by a force stronger than the both of them: their love! Oh this is even better than Helen and Paris!" She glared at Hades. "Don't tell them I said that."

"Oh, you know I will."

"Aphrodite, don't you have some poor female mind to corrupt?" Artemis said.

"Kill joy!" Aphrodite replied. "You just wait, one of these days my Eros is going to shoot you with one of his arrows and then you'll understand the gloriousness of love! And the best part is that you won't see him coming!" She said and stuck her tongue out at Artemis before walking away.

"Not if I shoot him first!" Artemis replied over her shoulder, with a roll of her eyes.

"Thalia, since this was not your decision, I will go easy on you. However, you will have to leave the hunt for good."

"My lady, isn't there some way to break the link?"

"I'm afraid not." Artemis replied, she sounded as if she would truly miss her lieutenant.

Apollo appeared next to his twin. "Now, this deserves a haiku!" He said excitedly. Everyone around him groaned loudly but Apollo recited his newly created haiku before anyone could stop him.

"The dead boy and the goth girl.

Together forever.

Death won't do them part.

Because they're zombies.

Apollo is awesome."

"This is nothing to write haikus about! And that wasn't even a haiku! It's more like an insult to oral communication!" Artemis scolded him.

"Calm down, sis." He said before teleporting away from them.

_Well,_ Thalia thought. _No matter what happens, it sure won't be boring._

xxxx

Thalia moved to Camp Half-Blood to help train the new kids after the war. She hadn't seen Nico since the end of the war, three weeks earlier. He had disappeared some time during the talk that they had with Lady Artemis. Thalia was working in the Pegasus stable when he arrived. She stopped brushing a Pegasus when she felt Nico's presence. She immediately turned to see him. He looked more depressed than the last time she had seen him. He seemed less alive and yet at the same time more alive. He seemed… immortal. "You were in the underworld?" She asked, playing with the Pegasus brush.

Nico nodded. "I was looking for a way out of the bond, for you."

"Nico I didn't mean to sound harsh on Mt. Olympus, I really appreciate you saving my life. I want you to know that. I just…" She paused for a moment. "I was just in shock; I didn't understand what was going on."

"There's no way out."

She closed her eyes for a moment. "I figured as much."

He shifted his feet awkwardly and stared at the floor. "I talked to the Fates." He then met her eyes to gage her reaction.

She looked him in the eyes, shocked. "How, they hardly ever talk to demigods? Nico, how serious is this?"

His gaze met the floor once again. "I umm… I kind of… broke some Ancient Laws, sort of. But because I kind of broke them instead of outright breaking them, we're both immortal now. So we can't be vaporized! That's good right?"

"How can we be immortal? I lost my immortality." She said thoughtfully.

"Well, see you died and I got to you before your soul reached the Underworld, but after it left your body. You see, it's not breaking the ancient laws to bring someone back from the dead if their soul hasn't made it to the Underworld yet. You didn't break your oath. I mean I didn't break it for you because you died." Thalia watched him as he babbled and dug his feet further into the dirt ground of the Pegasus barn. He wrung his hands nervously and played with the back of his neck. This wasn't like the Nico that she knew, grant it she didn't know him very well but every time she had been around him he had been different than now. Now he was acting like he was afraid of her, like he was trying to please her. He wasn't even like this when she first met him, when he was an awkward ten year old boy that was obsessed with Mythomagic.

He continued. "When our souls mingled, they were strengthened to the point that our mortal sides disappeared and just our godly sides were left. Aphrodite was right though, it wouldn't have been possible if we weren't soul mates because, ya' know when a person is born they have a part of their metaphorical heart missing. It can only be made whole if they find there other half."

Of all of the weird things Thalia had been through in her life, this had to top the list; it even topped being a tree for five years. And that says a lot. The part that she hated the most was that she could feel her confidence slipping away. She had always been independent – a protector- maybe that's why she felt so at home with the hunters, she was just like them. Now however, she had to depend on someone else, she was linked to him, was still immortal because of him. Yet she was having a hard time accepting the fact that her whole life now revolved around Nico di Angelo. Thalia wasn't exactly sure how she felt about that.

xxxx

Thalia and Nico met with the Olympian council not long after the war. Thankfully, because Nico didn't break the Ancient Laws, he just bent them fairly far back; they were not in any trouble with the Olympians other than being told to handle their powers more responsibly.

She and Nico spent most of their time in the Underworld; Nico was given the responsibilities of helping souls cross over. They helped train newly claimed demigods at Camp when they were in the mortal world, which Thalia really enjoyed. The years passed and Thalia grew to appreciate Nico, although she was still a little confused about her feelings for him.

One day when Thalia was in the Underworld, she received an invitation via a ghostly messenger. She opened the letter and read it.

_Dear Thalia, _

_You are cordially invited to my home in Elysium for tea tomorrow afternoon. Please do not tell Nico or Hades however, for Hades doesn't wish for Nico to visit with me yet. This breaks my heart but I cannot go against his wishes here, in his realm. I look forward to meeting you. Please reply and let me know if you are available. _

_Sincerely, _

_Maria di Angelo_

Thalia immediately called for a ghost messenger and sent her reply. The next afternoon Thalia snuck away to Maria's house. It was a small, yet homey little cottage in what Thalia considered the most beautiful section of Elysium, although she had to admit that all of it was beautiful. Thalia knocked on the door and waited for Maria to answer.

"Thalia dear, please come in!" Maria said with a smile as she ushered Thalia into her well decorated home. "I am glad that we could meet, dear," she said with a thick Italian accent.

She was dressed in a simple but elegant black dress with a strand of pearls around her slender neck, her dark eyes shone as she spoke. She looked graceful and beautiful, like an actress straight from a 1940's era film.

"It's nice to meet you." Thalia said with a small smile.

"Come sit down," the older woman said and motioned to the beige sofa on the other side of the room.

"Would you like your tea now?" Maria asked after they had settled on the sofa. She reached for the silver tea set on the table in front of them.

"That would be great, thanks." Thalia said and accepted the tea cup with a smile of gratitude.

"I am sure that you are wondering why I invited you here." Maria said with a straight face.

Thalia nodded, she was curious.

Maria shifted slightly in her seat so that it was easier for her to make eye contact with the other woman. "Thalia, innamorarsi non è un peccato."

Thalia furrowed her brow for a moment, attempting to understand what Maria meant, but to no avail. "I'm sorry, I don't speak Italian."

"It means falling in love isn't a sin. I understand that you have had a past that makes it difficult for you to trust. That you felt for so long that you had to rely solely on yourself, but that is not true anymore. It is okay for you to trust your cuore -your heart. Allowing someone into your heart is not a sign of weakness as some may believe. It can strengthen you and help you to grow and mature. Love is a very powerful thing, dear."

Thalia allowed herself a few moments to process the words. Ever since Nico saved her she had slowly found herself growing fonder of him. It started out in the little things. She would not lose her temper when he acted a certain way or he would do something really sweet for her. The more she was around him; the more she enjoyed his company. Although she had made sure that their relationship had remained extremely platonic. She had never admitted it for she was afraid to admit her feelings to herself or to anyone else. But now, she was beginning to see she didn't have to worry about admitting her feelings because there was nothing wrong with the way that she felt. It was a natural and mature decision.

"Do you understand?"

"I think so, Ms. Di Angelo."

The other woman raised her had to stop her. "Please, do not call me that, I would like for you to think of me as your family. Please call me Maria or Mamma if that is something you would be comfortable with."

Thalia was truly touched by the woman's words. She had never had someone treat her in such a way before. This woman was so much more caring than Thalia's own mother. She felt as if Maria really cared about her.

"Thanks for the talk," she paused before continuing and tried the word out in her head before saying it aloud, "Mamma."

Maria smiled. "It was my pleasure, mia figlia –my daughter. Please take care of my son."

Thalia nodded in agreement. "I will."

xxxx

Throughout the rest of her immortal life, Thalia the Deathless (as she had become to be known) followed the advice that Maria di Angelo had given her. She opened up her heart and loved freely, accepting the fact that it is best not to question the fates for they often have better plans than any mortal could have thought up on their own.


End file.
